THE HOT STORY

AI will lead to labour shortages, Bezos says

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has told attendees at the VivaTech technology conference in Paris that artificial intelligence will not replace humans; rather, it will lead to labour shortages. "I know there's a lot of concern that many people have, including many smart people, that AI is going to make humans redundant and so on," Bezos said. "I totally disagree with this point of view. And I think, in fact, AI is going to create a labour shortage." Bezos observed that people have "endless" ‌things ⁠to do, and are currently limited by barriers that he said AI would lower.

Reuters

TECHNOLOGY

HSBC teams up with Google for AI boost

HSBC has announced a partnership with Google Cloud to enhance its AI capabilities. The bank said it aims to identify over 200 new use cases within two years, and plans to focus on those that could deliver gains of more than $100m each, either through revenues or efficiencies. HSBC chief executive Georges Elhedery said that the bank's approach to using AI involved "keeping human judgment, decision-making, and accountability at the core," adding: "A partnership like this one with Google Cloud helps us empower our colleagues with the tools they need to be future-ready, and supports our work in building a simple, agile, faster, and more personal HSBC."

The I

City AM

The Times

WORKPLACE

Special Report : Women in Business

A series of FT reports looks at issues including: why the Nordic region’s famously generous family-friendly policies are making no impact; the value of menstrual leave and fears over unintended consequences.

Financial Times

WORKFORCE

UAE private sector workforce grows 2.5% in first quarter

The UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has said that the private sector workforce expanded by 2.5% during the first quarter of 2026, while the number of skilled workers increased by 1.5% over the same period. Meanwhile, the number of companies operating in the UAE's private sector grew by 0.4% during the first quarter of 2026, according to data released by the Labour Market Observatory.

Gulfnews.com

HIRING

Saudi Arabia tightens work visa rules

Saudi Arabia has revised its work visa policy, limiting newly established businesses to five instant visas. Companies operating for over two years can apply for up to 50 visas. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's Qiwa platform stated that businesses must meet specific criteria, including Saudisation rates, to qualify for additional visas. Ten conditions for recruiting non-Saudi workers were outlined, such as maintaining active business status and complying with the Wage Protection System. Qiwa emphasised the importance of adhering to these regulations for successful recruitment.

Gulfnews.com

Why do employers think it’s OK to ghost job applicants?

The FT's Robert Shrimsley says no explanation for the ghosting of job applicants holds water, and he laments the likely impact on young people of such shows of contempt and indifference.

Financial Times

HEALTH & WELLBEING

'Blind spots' could hide full spread of Ebola outbreak in Congo

World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Olivier le Polain has indicated that the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be much wider than official estimates. "There are still many blind spots in some areas that are high risk," he said. "Surveillance really needs to be strengthened in those areas." Le Polainhe said the WHO does not yet have projections for ⁠the size of the epidemic. The U.S. CDC has said it could be on ⁠the same level as the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak, which caused more than 11,000 deaths.

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

More firms are using ‘backdoor’ job references

So-called “backdoor” job references, which have long played a role in hiring, are being used more than ever by businesses desperate for human insight now that candidates are using AI to write résumés and coach them through virtual interviews. “They’ve become a lot more important,” observes headhunter Mark Toscano. “The tools that people are using to present themselves in the best light possible are the same reason that companies are resorting to these backdoor references.” Although such references offer the potential for score-settling by rivals, independent recruiter Kelli Hrivnak says: “I’ve actually seen backdoor references help people more often, as opposed to being a detriment.”

Wall Street Journal

Coffee firms are ill-prepared for EU rules on living wages, report says

According to the biennial Coffee Barometer, a major coffee sector report, none of the world's top coffee roasters and traders have committed to paying farmers a living income under the EU's landmark Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which is set to become a legal obligation for large companies operating in the EU from 2029. The CSDDD obliges large companies to remedy human rights and environmental issues in their supply chains or face penalties of up to 3% ⁠of global turnover. The report says these companies will need to have set up their compliance systems well in advance of 2029 in order to comply. "Pricing structures, contract duration and payment terms are no longer purely commercial decisions; where they are linked to adverse human rights impacts, ‌companies ⁠are required to change them," the report observes.

Reuters

The Indian workers who are training AI robots

In India, housewives like Nagireddy Sriramyachandra are earning over $2 an hour by filming household tasks to train AI robots. Sriramyachandra sends recordings via a special app to the AI data company Objectways. The firm, which has offices in India and the United States, lists Fortune 500 multinationals as clients and works with Amazon SageMaker, a platform for machine learning models. Developers say feeding first-person footage, called "egocentric data", into specialised AI models will help robots copy humans. Sriramyachandra says: "Who else will give you 250 rupees an hour just for doing housework?"

France 24

AI 'boosts efficiency but not productivity'

The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has found that while AI can enhance efficiency, it does not guarantee increased productivity. TNO investigated how four organisations deployed AI. “The results show that AI accelerates and simplifies work processes at the organisations, but that productivity gains are not a standard consequence,” said the researchers, who also highlighted that employers need to give more consideration to how AI affects employees' working conditions. “AI influences not only the quantity of work, but also the quality of work.” According to the researchers, employers often focus only on improving productivity through task automation, and do not consider the consequences for their workers' day-to-day.

NL Times

OTHER

Deliveroo partners with Alshaya to expand retail offering in UAE and Kuwait

Deliveroo has partnered with Alshaya Group to bring more than 10 international retail brands to its platform across the UAE and Kuwait, expanding its offering beyond food and grocery deliveries. The partnership will initially add brands including Boots, Bath & Body Works, NYX Professional Makeup, Mothercare, Muji, Ulta Beauty, Dr. Vranjes, and Disney Store, with further brands planned in a wider rollout. Deliveroo said the agreement strengthens its retail proposition and supports its strategy of growing non-food categories, while Alshaya gains an additional sales channel and broader customer reach across the region.

Zawya

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